Machine for compressing the heels of boots and shoes.



J. H. FERRABEB, JR. MACHINE FOB. commmssme THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 191-1. 1,006,072, Patented Oct. 17,1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HENRY FEBRABEE, JR., OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GIIVISON 8c- COMPANY (LEICESTER) LIMITED, 01'? LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR COMPRESSING THE HEELS OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY FERRA- BEE, J r., a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Machines for Compressing the Heels of Boots and Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes for compressing heels after the latter have been nailed and before they are attached to the boot or shoe.

The present invention comprises an improvement in or modification of the feed mechanism of the machine which forms the subject of my prior English patent application No. 18506 dated 11th August 1909.

The object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of the feed mechanism of the prior machine and this is effected in a manner which will now be de-' scribed.

In the feed mechanism of the prior application before referred to, two pivoted and slidable fingers are employed to simultaneously carry the compressed heels from the mold and feed fresh heels to the mold. These fingers grip the compressed heels between their forward ends and for the purpose of adapting said fingers for diiferent sizes of heels the fulcrums of said fingers are adjustable toward and from each other to vary the distance between the gripping ends of the fingers.

The present invention obviates the adjustment of the fulcrums of the fingers by arranging that the ends of the fingers, instead of closing on opposite sides of the compressed heel to grip the latter, shall close or move together in front of the heel, and then, instead of carrying it away from the mold, said fingers shall push the heel away as the fingers slide forward. In the present case where the fingers close together for all shapes and sizes of heels and do not grip the heels, no variation of the distance between the fingers is required, and therefore their fulcrums are attached to the supporting slide in permanent positions relatively one to the other.

The adjustment of the side members of the uide which receives the heels to be fed to the mold is elfected by moving them in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 13, 1911.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Serial No. 614,212.

the pivoted fingers the same as described in the prior English application. The feed mechanism of the prior English application was furnished with a slide having a recipro eating-movement in a bracket actuated by a lever and links from a cam. This slide carried the pivoted fingers hereinbefore referred to and said fingers received their closing and opening movement from cam slots along which trucks or rollers, mounted on the fingers, traveled. This construction is much simplified according to the present invention which obviates the use of the cam slots and by a modified arrangement of the parts obtains both the reciprocation and opening and closing movements of the fingers from one actuating lever.

In further describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved feed mechanism constructed according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

Like parts are designated by the same reference characters in both figures. of the drawing.

In like manner to the feed mechanism of the prior English patent application No. 18506 of 1909, the feed mechanism of the present invention is carried by a bracket 1 attached to the front of the lower reciprocating beam 64 of the machine.

In the arrangment according to the present invention the slide 2 on which the fingers 3 are pivotally mounted is freely movable to and fro along its supporting bracket 1, that is to say, it is not directly coupled with the actuating lever 4 of the feed mechanism. As previously stated the fulcrums 5 of the fingers are mounted in permanent positions on the slide 2, and the movement of said fingers 3 on their fulcrums is restricted, the arrangement being such that the fingers close toward each other until their forward ends 6 meet in front of the compressed heel and then, after the closed fingers have moved forward to push the said heel from the mold 72., they open apart until their rear ends 7 make contact with suitable stops 8 on the slide 2 whereupon the fingers move rearward to leave the fresh heel in the mold. This result is brought about by coupling the rearward ends 7 of the pivoted fingers 3 directly to the upper end of the actuating rock lever 4 of the mechanism, said coupling be ing of such a nature that it will allow movement to take place both laterally and vertically as the parts move.

The actuating rock lever 4 of the present mechanism, as in the prior English application, is oscillated by connection with a cam or equivalent (not shown) and its upper end moves toward and from the mold in a corresponding direction to that of the slide 2 and feed fingers 3. The functional result of coupling this rock lever 4 to the rearward ends 7 of the two pivoted fingers 3 respectively instead of, as hitherto, to the slide, is as follows. Vhen the slide-2 is in its normal 2'. c. rearward position farthest from the mold as shown in the drawing, the commencement of the forward movement of the rock lever 4 (indicated by an arrow in Fig. 2) will open the rearward ends 7 of the fingers 3 thus closing the forward ends 6 and also closing the sides 9 of the feed guide upon the heel 0 to be fed. This movement, indicated by arrows in Fig. 2, will continue until the front ends 6 of the fingers meet in the front of the compressed heel and at this point the guide sides 9 will also have closed upon the fresh heel 0. During the closing movement of the fingers 3, the slide 2 which carries them remains stationary, but as soon as the fingers meet at their front ends 6 the closing movement of said fingers is stopped and the continued forward movement of the rock lever 4 moves the slide 2, and fingers 3 forward to push away the compressed heel from the mold Z) and carry forward the fresh heel c to the mold.

Upon the commencement of the return movement of the rock lever, 4, the slide 2 again remains stationary but the rearward ends 7 of the fingers 3 are drawn, by the couplings 10, toward each other thus opening the forward ends 6 of said fingers and also the guide sides 9 which release the fresh heel c. This opening movement of the fingers 3 continues'until it is arrested by the contact of the fingers with the stops 8 on the slide whereupon the rock lever 4 moves the slide 2 and fingers 3 rearward to the normal position again preparatory to the operation being repeated.

The preferred form of coupling between the ends 7 of the fingers 3 and the actuating rock lever 4 consists of a rod 10 connected at its ends to the said rock lever and finger by a ball and socket joint of any suitable construction. Instead of the form of coupling members just described, it is obvious that members consisting of pivoted links connected to the ends of the fingers and the actuating rock lever by double or other universally movable joints may be used. To prevent the slide 2 overrunning in a forward direction, a bar 11 is located across the bracket 1, and any suitable form of stop (not shown) may, if desirable, be provided to prevent overrunning of the slide in a rearward direction. Attached to the bar 11 is a plate or platform 12 which extends in a forward direction to the mold b. This platform forms a support for the heels during the feeding thereof, that is to say, the fresh heels 0 are placed by hand on the platforms 12 and in front of a breast block 13, then when the sides 9 have closed in upon the heel the latter is moved forward over said platform 12 and left in the desired position on the mold bottom. The guide sides 9 are held in their adjusted positions in the fingers 3 by means of set screws 14 and the breast block 13 is held by screws 15 and may be interchanged with others having difi'er ently shaped fronts.

hat I claim is 1. In a heel compressing machine, feed mechanism comprising a slide, a supporting bracket along which said slide is freely mov able, pivoted fingers carried by said slide, an actuating rock lever, and pivoted coupling members between the rock lever and pivoted fingers said coupling members and rock lever imparting respectively a closing and opening movement to the fingers before the commencement of the forward and return movements of the slide the latter being effected through the medium of the couplings and fingers, substantially as described.

2. In a heel compressing machine, feed mechanism comprising a fixed supporting bracket, a slide freely'movable along said bracket, pivoted fingers mounted on said slide, guides adjustably mounted in said fingers adapted to grip the heel to be fed on opposite sides thereof, a rock lever, rods to couple the pivoted fingers to the actuating rock lever, ball and socket connections between the said coupling rods and the fingers and rock lever, and stops to restrict the opening movement of the fingers, all substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HENRY FERRABEE, JR.

lVitnesses:

B. V. C. TAYLOR, GEORGE LESTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

